Hachiko Souvenirs at Last!

Taking home a momento of Hachiko is something very important to me. Yet, every time I returned to Shibuya Station, finding gifts was a treasure hunt. Except for some cookies, notepads and a few other times, I was left empty-handed.

When I returned home, I gifted these precious treasures to my friends and family. The last one is displayed prominently on my living room table so that Hachi can be with me daily!

Finding Hachi Heaven

In 2016, I toured Asia for three weeks and my first stop was Tokyo. I headed straight for Shibuya Station to say “hello” to my buddy Hachiko. Each time, it’s a never-ending thrill to see the crowds vying to take pictures with the loyal Akita.

There’s a small archive of historic Hachi photos in the iconic green box car that’s located directly in front of his statue. Although it’s not marked as such, the “green frog” as it’s affectionately called, it acts as an information center. The staff is helpful and get lots of questions about Hachiko.

After taking a few photos with Hachi, the dark sky started to pour rain, so I headed into the adjacent Tokyu department store. Wandering around until the rain stopped, I found an area solely dedicated to everything Hachiko.

I hit the jack pot!

Overwhelmed with cute Hachi theme items, I couldn’t tear myself away. Of course, I left with bags of Hachi gifts for all his friends back home. No more door-to-door hunt to try and find anything dog related. This is the one-stop place to shop!

2018 Update:

While zipping in and out of shops the next day, I discovered lots of loot in Kinokuniya, a book store with eight stories of books, comics, stationary, magazines and other items. It’s located in the heart of Shibuya and is chock full of treasures.